Ali: Mommy, can we make a strategy to go and meet God sometime soon?
Me: Sure, baby. What do you want to meet with him about?
Ali: I just want to talk to him.
Me: Oh yeah? About what?
Ali: I want to tell him that I never want yours and Daddy's lives to be at an end and I never want your souls to go back to him.

That last one's just a bit heart breaking, no? I can't believe how amazing it is to watch a person grow up, to watch her learn how to say "mommy" for the first time and what sounds animals make . . . and then just a blink of an eye later, to have her contemplating death and wanting to negotiate with God for our time together.

3 years, 8 months into this parenting thing, and every day it's still the coolest thing I've ever done.

Monday, May 13, 2013

My little fella has moved up to the next class in school (the 2-yr-olds room! WHEN DID HE GET SO BIG??), and with that move has come an explosion of verbal awesome. He was ahead of his peers in the 1-yr-olds room, but really, a bunch of kids learning "more" and "milk" and "no" can't really broaden your linguistic horizons too much.

But now? Now he's in the 2-yr-olds room and he's talking up a STORM.

Exhibit A:(in the car)
Sam: Mommy, let's listen to Peter Pan!
Me: Okay, buddy, let me find it. (listening to the first part of each CD to find the right one)
Sam: That's not it! That's Ariel!
Me: (finds Peter Pan)
Sam: There it is! Great job, Mommy!

Seriously.

So, since I know that his cute little not-quite-right-isms won't last long in the face of such verbal advances, here are some of my favorite little Sam-isms.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Because my itty-bitty-teeny-tiny-forever-my-baby? He's pretty much talking non-stop now. And it's funny to see how different his little personality already is from his big sister. He's pretty matter-of-fact with his convos . . . but still every bit as heart-meltingly sweet.

Sam had a tummy bug this week (thankfully the 12-hr variety, though it pretty much knocked him on his tuchas for those 12 hours). He'd tell me his tummy hurt ("Mommy, tummy hurt!"), and I'd tell him, "Oh, it does? I'm so sorry!" while snuggling him and gently stroking his tummy.

That little exchange eventually turned into:

Sam: Mommy, tummy hurt! I sorry, tooooo.

No pause for Mommy's part. See what I mean? He's kind of a let's-get-down-to-business kind of guy.

And then this little exchange, when Alex was putting Sam's pjs on after being gone all day and evening on a business trip.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Once upon a time, there was a daddy of Ariel's, and his name was King Triton. And one day, he was crying. Ariel, his daughter, swam up and said, "What's the matter, Daddy?" and he said "The Sea Witch hit me today."

Ariel swam up to the Sea Witch and said, "That's not nice. That's not okay to hit my daddy." So they were swimming, and while they were swimming, Ariel said, "This is the plan." The Sea Witch said "Yes." "We are going to swim up to my daddy, and you are going to say you're sorry."

So when they were there, the Sea Witch said "Sorry," and then he, King Triton, said, "It's okay." And then Ariel took the Sea Witch back to her cave, and they piled in her bed for a nap, and then Ariel and King Triton went back to their castle in the water to take a nap. And then everyone was sleeping, Ariel, King Triton, the Sea Witch, Ariel's sisters, Ariel's friends and Sebastien. Everyone. The end.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Ali: Mommy, watch me jump off the couch!
Me: We don't jump off the couch, love, especially not toward the coffee table. You could get hurt!
Ali: Oh . . . Mommy, watch me carefully climb down off the couch!

(When discussing The Little Mermaid)
Ali: Isn't there a but in that story?
Me: What?
Ali: Isn't there a but in that story?
Me: A but. You mean, like the word but?
Ali: Yeah. Isn't it in that story?
Me: Oh, I'm sure it is. Like, I could say "Ariel loved being a mermaid, but she wanted to be a human, too."
Ali:
No, it's 'but it simply grazed her arm.'" (an exact, obscure quote from The Little Mermaid)

(When finishing up telling her the story of The Three Little Pigs)
Me: And the wolf decided he wanted to build a house, too, so he built a house out of bricks.
Ali: No, he didn't use bricks. He built his house out of the American flag.
Me: The American flag?
Ali: Yes, because that's even STRONGER than bricks.

Ali: I'll have to do my hurry walk!
Me: What's your hurry walk?
Ali: Well, I have two hurry walks. One is slow and one is fast!
Me: Wait, wouldn't the slow walk be called a slow walk?
Ali: No, it's one of my hurry walks.
Me: But why is it a hurry walk if it's slow? If you're going slow, you really aren't hurrying.
Ali: Well, that's just the way God made it. Two speeds for a hurry walk.

Kelly's Wish List

8 months

7 months

6 months

5 months

4 months

3 months

2 months

1 month

12 months

11 months

10 months

9 months

8 months

7 months

6 months

5 months

4 months

3 months

2 months

1 month

0 months

My 101 list

SELF1. create a list of 101 goals and a timeframe within which to complete them2. start a blog 3. get published as an editor or author4. get a promotion5. get all my boxes from my parents6. organize and consolidate childhood boxes7. turn 30 and love it8. motivate husband to create his own version of goal list and time frame

HEALTH & FITNESS9. complete a half-ironman10. complete a century ride (100 miles)11. complete the MS15012. do yoga in a park13. do 25 full-length push-ups without stopping14. do a Krav Maga class15. play 9 holes of golf from drive to putt16. subscribe to a fitness magazine17. be comfortable in a size 818. avoid getting sunburned19. go to the dentist consistently20. floss consistently21. get my vision checked22. no sodas for a month23. no sweets for a month24. no fried food for a month25. eat a vegan meal26. take a “mental health” day

HOME27. paint a room28. keep a potted plant alive for at least one year29. acquire rest of nice flatware from registry30. plant a tree31. do something to our back yard so that it’s not just grass and fence32. finish decorating33. find a permanent acceptable location for the litter box34. get a water softener35. find a good solution for necklace storage36. get gutters

FUN & GAMES37. have the neighbors over for dinner38. get SCUBA certified39. go dancing with my husband40. make a bull’s eye in a dart game41. have a girls’ night out42. play a game of chess43. host a game night or dinner party44. fly a homemade kite45. check out the county park near our house 46. go on the Austin Segway tour47. get dressed up and go to a cool bar/club downtown48. attempt cow tipping49. go spelunking

TRAVEL50. create photo book of trip to Ireland/London51. camp in a national park52. travel abroad with just husband53. take a trip with child and husband54. throw a dart and go wherever it lands55. take a picture in front on an iconic landmark

FAMILY56. visit my sister57. visit my brother/do a race in NC58. visit my grandmother59. tell my family I love them whenever we hang up60. get to know my “new” cousin better61. spend an afternoon with just my mother-in-law62. start a family63. keep a pregnancy journal to eventually pass on to my child

FINANCIAL64. get a raise65. buy a car66. write a will67. pay off all my medical bills68. give handmade Christmas gifts69. plan and execute a major fundraising event for TNT

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT70. write and send a letter (not an email)71. take a Mensa test (just for the hell of it)72. make an effort to not let how people treat me affect how I treat them73. allow myself to spend more than $100 on a fabulous pair of non-athletic shoes74. volunteer at an animal shelter75. volunteer at a homeless shelter76. donate hair to Locks of Love77. clean out house and donate at least twice a year to Goodwill (5 times total)78. watch Fiddler on the Roof from start to finish79. read The Brothers Karamazov80. attend a poetry slam81. see a show such as Blue Man Group or Dane Cook82. take a cooking class83. cook a fresh dinner every night for a week84. host a family holiday at our house85. bake a loaf of bread from scratch86. sew something87. vote in something other than a presidential election88. make an informed vote in the 2008 presidential election89. attend a religious service other than Christian90. go to the O. Henry pun-off91. learn basic phrases for fourth language92. learn to appreciate wine93. go to a concert94. eat something I’ve never tried before95. read a nonfiction book96. read a self-help book97. go skinny dipping in a river/lake/ocean98. put change in someone’s expired meter99. rescue a dog from a shelter100. say “thank you” to a police officer101. do something special do celebrate completion of 101 goals!!!